Macmillan’s Ebook Prices Going Up
Giant online retailer Amazon.com recently stopped the selling of Macmillan titles. Macmillan is considered as among the top 6 publishers across the globe. Amazon decided to resort to this move because of a disagreement on the consumer’s cost for Amazon Kindle and ebook users. Announced via a notice at Amazon.com, the Kindle Team wrote that they might eventually have to go with the Macmillan terms, because they would like to offer the consumer the option. Macmillan’s titles will be priced from $5.99 to $14.99.
The Macmillan group claims that they may actually make less money while Amazon makes more using the digital agent model. The retailer (Amazon) will receive 30% cut from the ebook sales. The physical book industry has adopted an agency model that has furnished considerable gains to all involved, and Macmillan states that the digital market needs a model to follow too.
It can’t be denied that the publisher, retailer, author and/or illustrator is in business to make money. This monopoly, however, will hurt the consumer in the end.
Amazon’s temporary exclusion of Macmillan titles is to express their protest of the higher cost, and according to Macmillan’s CEO, the disagreement is about the long term market. Obviously the retailer and publisher have diverse view points. Amazon believes that other publishers won’t go along with Macmillan’s example. But since it is clearly for their gain, what would stop other publishers from doing the same?
If we check out the tangible book market, a consumer who wants to buy the newest and best hard cover books will do so. If the desire can be tamed, then they may watch for the price to take a bit of a dive. The issue is, why should it be any different for the digital book market?
A boycott against Macmillan is perhaps a suitable response, but, would it really last? Once a reader is tempted by a fresh title from one of Macmillan’s exciting writers, the cost doesn’t have much weight any longer.
The consumer will continue to acquire what makes them happy. The simple pleasures of reading a book has become convenient and so accessible with the use of the Kindle technology. This alone is enticing, and when you add a new Macmillan title, the consumer will take the bait. We haven’t been able to fight the urge when it’s time for an interesting read.
Amazon has over 400,000 books available so even if Macmillan ebook prices are much higher than the $9.99 ebook price tag that Amazon would like to stick to, the Kindle owner still has a wide range of options to choose from. Check us out to find out what else the Amazon Kindle has to offer and why it is the most popularebook reader today.
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